Remember When?
by ImaTVJunkie
Summary: Booth & Brennan's grandchildren have come to stay while their mother, Christine goes on vacation. The children start asking questions about their Grandparents past. Booth & Brennan recount different times of their lives to their grandchildren.
1. Chapter 1

Booth answered the door and opened his arms.

"Pops!" A boy, with legs and arms too long for his body launched himself into Booth.

Booth wrapped him up in a huge hug and kissed the top of his head.

"Let me look at you! You've grown!" he said as the boy stepped back and stood up to his full height.

"I'm as tall as mum now!" he said proudly puffing up his young man's chest. Booth smiled.

"I can see that!" he said ruffling the boys head.

Brandon Seeley Armstrong was fourteen years old. He was destined to be tall like his grandfather. He had his mother's curly light brown hair and her vivid cornflower blue eyes. His smile was all Booth.

"Hey, get out the way!" a high pitched voice came from behind Brandon. He was pushed roughly to the side as a girl with long light blonde hair and deep set dimples either side of a wide full mouth, stepped before her grandfather. She was very much like her father, except her eyes. She had her grandfather's eyes. Dark velvety brown that changed with the light.

"There's my girl" Booth said grinning as he wrapped her up in a big bear hug. He lifted her off the ground and rocked from side to side, dropping her to her feet as he groaned. "You're getting too big for this" he said holding her at arm's length to look at her.

Erin Leah Armstrong was thirteen years old. She was tall and well proportioned. Booth shook his head noting her girlish body had disappeared over the winter, and a young woman was standing before him. It had been nine months since he had seen his grandchildren and he couldn't get over how big they had grown.

Christine walked up the front path and smiled widely at her father. "Hi Dad. Thank you so much for having them" she said as she hugged and kissed her father on the cheek. "Phil and I really appreciate it." she added. She and her husband were going to Europe for their sixteenth anniversary. He had surprised her with the two month trip.

* * *

Truth be told Booth had not really liked Phil when he had first met him. He had been brash and cocky. A lot like Booth had been, his wife had pointed out to him when their only child, Christine had finally brought him home to meet them.

In fact, Booth had not really been a fan of any of Christine's boyfriends. He had a stock standard routine when she eventually did bring any boys home. He would take them for a little walk. Down to the basement. He would sit them in a chair, facing a display rack of guns, awards, and other military and FBI paraphernalia. He would sit on the desk opposite them, casually swinging one leg, his arms folded across his chest, staring.

Most would start to perspire after the first three minutes of him staring. Then they would start to lick their lips and swallow, their mouths drying. Their faces would grow red, or white, depending on their fear level. Few looked him squarely in the eye. He would then stand up and circle their chair, stopping to the side of them, his hand landing heavily on their shoulder. He would lean down and place his mouth close to their ear. "You touch her and it will be the last time you use your hands" was one of his favourite lines.

Christine never dated any boy for more than a few months, thanks to her father's heavy handed, FBI style interrogations. She had gone through a period of not bringing any boys home to meet her parents during her late teens. It wasn't until she met Phil that she changed her mind and brought him over for dinner one night. They hadn't been in the door longer than five minutes when Booth asked Phil if he would come for a little walk with him.

Christine had stepped in and demanded he stop. They had stood, facing each other squarely. Christine's eyes were boring into him. Suddenly, for the first time ever, he backed down. "OK. We'll talk at the dinner table" he had said nodding at Phil.

Phil of course had been warned about Booth. He knew that he was ex military. Had served as a sniper, been deployed in Afghanistan and also been a special agent with the FBI. She had told him about her past boyfriends experiences with her father. He knew that Booth was fiercely protective of his only daughter. But Phil also knew that he had met the girl he was going to marry. And nothing, not even a tough, belligerent father was going to get in the way of that.

* * *

Phillip Armstrong had met Christine while in his final year at college. She was studying nursing and he was about to complete his degree in architectural design. He remembered seeing her walking down the stairs. Her hair was caught loosely to one side, golden brown curls bouncing against her shoulder. She looked up and he was lost in two eyes the colour of the sky on a summers day. She suddenly laughed, her smile was wide, showing her perfectly straight white teeth. She and her friend stepped off the bottom step and turned to walk the opposite way he was heading.

Instead of going to his class, he was mesmerised and followed the two girls out into the courtyard. They walked down the large wide concrete steps that lead down to the student car park. She stood talking to her friend, who got into a car and reversed out of the park, her hand waving as the car disappeared. She stood for a moment then turned and walked towards him.

He stood perfectly still as she approached. She was looking at the ground, but just as she got near him she looked up and smiled at him. He remembered stammering something like "Hey". She walked about five or six steps past him and then stopped and turned around. She looked at him and smiled again. "Hey yourself" she said.

That had been it. They had been inseparable from that moment. It was never in doubt to any of their friends. They were meant to be. They dated through their last year of college and got married one year later. Phil got a job working for a prestigious architectural firm on the other side of the country, which had devastated Booth and Brennan. But they realised that this was what happened when your children grew up and started living their lives. Christine was working as a nurse in a children's hospital. And they were happy. Two years later along had come Brandon. And to everybody's surprise fourteen months later Erin joined their family. Booth had not been happy. He accused Phil of turning his daughter into a baby making machine. But within moments of holding his grandchildren, he had fallen madly in love with them and looking into Christine's eyes, he realised that his daughter was truly happy. Just like he and Bones had been for the last 40 years.

* * *

Booth grinned at his baby girl. She may be a thirty nine year old woman, but she was always going to be his little girl. He looked past her and lifted a hand in salute to Phil who was sitting in the car waiting for his wife.

"Where's Mom?" Christine asked looking past her father into the house.

Booth shook his head "Oh she had to run to the store to grab some _essentials_ or something. I hope that means icecream and cookies. She's going to be so mad she missed you. We thought you were coming earlier?" he asked.

Christine shrugged, "Sorry Dad. I was having a discussion with the kids about their behaviour, and you know Erin, she has an answer for everything. And I have to tell you. She's. Developing." she said softly so that Erin didn't hear her.

Booth's face screwed up "Stop. Right there." his hands held up in front of him. "I don't think I'm the right person" Christine slapped at his hands, "Dad, don't be ridiculous. I need to tell you because Mom isn't here. She's had her first period. And there's a strong chance that she may have one while they are here."

"Christine" Booth's voice was strained, his mouth downturned on the corners. "Please"

"Shut up Dad. I've packed her some"

Booth covered his ears "No. That's enough. I get it. You don't have to say it. That's my baby granddaughter you're talking about!" he cried. Christine stared at him incredulously, then burst out laughing. She remembered him being squeamish the first time she had a period. Her mother was not home and she had to go to him. He had nearly passed out.

"OK. But, remember to tell Mom." she nodded at him, pointing at him to make sure he understood. "It's important Dad. I don't want her to feel weird or ashamed or embarrassed" she added seriously.

Booth's head tipped to the side, his forehead creased heavily, his eyes screwed up. He sighed loudly "Fine. Can we just not talk about that. Stuff. Any more, please. I promise I'll tell your mother the minute she gets back. Now I wish I'd made her wait." he mumbled.

Phil tooted the car horn and pointed to his watch. Christine waved and turned back to her father, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her lips against his cheek. "Thanks Dad. Don't let them bamboozle you. I've put the number of our hotel in this bag. But I'm sure you won't need it. Give Mom our love and thank her for me." she turned and looked at the car as Phil tooted the horn again. "We're gonna miss our flight if I don't go right now. Love you!" she called as she ran down the path to the car, stopping to wave one last time before getting into the passenger seat.

Booth lifted a hand and waved as they drove off down the street. He stood for a moment, then looked down at the bag that held Erin's _girly_ things. He shuddered and carried it inside and dropped it by the coat rack.

The kids were upstairs arguing about which room they were going to stay in. Brennan had been insistent that they couldn't stay in the same room any more. Booth didn't understand why.

They'd always shared a room he had pointed out. Brennan had to sit him down and give him the talk about the differences between boys and girls. He had argued that they were his grandchildren. And they were siblings. Brennan had won once she started talking about bodily functions. Booth was still struggling with the idea that his babies were not babies any more.

Booth stood at the bottom of the stairs listening to the argument escalating upstairs. He could feel a headache starting. He thought his sweet, cute grandchildren were coming to stay. He wasn't prepared for pubescent teenagers.

"I hope Bones hurries up and gets home."


	2. Chapter 2

Brennan placed a casserole dish on the table and pushed a large serving spoon into it.

"Ooh! Mac and cheese!" Brandon cheered, his fork in his hand.

"Nobody makes mac and cheese like your Gran" Booth proudly said, giving Brennan a gently slap on the behind as she headed back to the kitchen.

"Booth!" she cried, jumping as his hand connected. "The children!"

Booth laughed loudly and grabbed the serving spoon and scooped out a large portion of noodles and dumped them ceremoniously onto the plate in front of Brandon. "Enough?" he asked the boy who nodded enthusiastically. "Heck, yeah!" Brandon replied.

Erin followed Brennan out of the kitchen carrying a large bowl of salad.

She stood next to Booth and offered him the bowl, "You want some salad Pops? I made it myself!" she said proudly. Booth grinned and used the tongs to serve himself some salad on his plate, then motioned to Brandon. "Salad" he said. Brandon screwed up his nose but Booth was having none of it. "Salad" he repeated pointing to his grandson's plate. Erin put the bowl in front of Brandon and took her seat next to Booth.

She sat quietly waiting for her brother to finish putting two bits of lettuce, a slice of cucumber and a sliver of tomato, reluctantly on his plate. Booth breathed out loudly and grabbed the tongs and dumped a large portion of salad onto Brandon's plate. "Eat it" he said, then put the bowl in front of his granddaughter.

"Thanks Pops" she said sweetly. She served herself a large portion of salad and pushed the bowl to where her grandmother was now seated. "Here you go Gran. I know you like salad" she said smiling at her grandmother. Brennan smiled at her "Thanks sweetie. You did a great job!" she said, serving herself.

Booth watched Erin start eating her salad, ignoring the mac and cheese.

"You want me to serve you some?" he asked. Erin screwed up her nose "No thanks. I don't really. Um. No offence Gran" she said looking at Brennan "I don't like the taste of it. There's something weird in it." she said.

"The nutmeg" Booth and Brennan said together. They looked at each other and laughed. "That's what I love about your Grans mac and cheese" he said. "I remember the first time she made it for me." he said looking into his wife's eyes.

Erin leaned one elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand "When was that Gran?" she asked.

Brennan swallowed the mouthful of salad she was chewing and frowned.

"Well now. That was a long, long time ago" she said.

Booth grinned "I remember it like it was yesterday Bones" he said, reaching across the table to grab her hand, the love for his wife apparent on his face.

"This isn't gonna be one of those love stories is it?" Brandon said rolling his eyes and shovelling another mouthful of macaroni into his mouth.

"Well now" said Booth, his eyes sparkling.

Booth was in his early eighties, but he had the vigour and spark of a much younger man. His face, though lined, was still handsome and rugged. His hair was silver, but still thick and wavy as it had been in his youth. He was very proud of his hair. He still wore it the way he did when he was in his forties, despite Brennan telling him that it was probably time to just let it go. He would stand in front of the mirror every morning, gelling, spiking it up, pushing it around until it sat just so. Brennan would sit on the edge of the bed watching him primp and preen. It still made her smile, forty years later.

Booth leaned back in his chair, one hand in front of his chin, his index finger tapping at his bottom lip.

"We were on a case where we had to investigate some bones that were glowing." he said.

Brandon immediately turned his attention to his grandfather. "Glowing bones? Awesome! Did you take them home and try them out in the dark? Were they like light sabers? What colour were they?" he fired a series of questions at his grandparents.

Brennan frowned "Of course not Brandon. We were working. You cannot just take home evidence to play with. What's a light saber?" she turned and asked Booth, who choked on his mouthful of macaroni.

"from Star Wars" he said. Brennan stared at him blankly.

"The swords that were made of light? That Darth Vader and Luke fought with?" he said nodding at her.

Brennan shrugged, her bottom lip dropping "I don't know what you're talking about. Swords are not made of light. That's not actually possible, they're usually forged from steel. Anyway." She dismissed the question. "We had to put on radiation suits because they were worried about possible contamination." she said.

Booth laughed, "and we had to take those tablets. I remember mine got stuck in my throat and started dissolving. Tasted terrible!" Brennan laughed. "You still don't swallow tablets properly. I've never understood that" she said.

"so what happened?" Erin asked.

Brennan looked at Booth "Remember Angela turned down Hodgin's proposal?"

"Is that Great Auntie Angela and Great Uncle Jack?" Erin asked, recognising the names.

"Yes! They were our best friends for many years" Brennan said, feeling a small tug in her chest. Jack and Angela had passed away about five years ago, three years apart. Their sons Michael and Jack Junior lived in New York now. They were successful musicians, in a band together. They had both inherited their grandfather's passion for music.

She sighed and looked at Booth, who winked at her, mischievously.

Booth laughed "We were talking about believing in love, and you gave me the dopymean making us happy cos we smell stuff and something about our features looking"

Brennan interrupted him "Symmetrical. I explained to you that dopamine and norepinephrine stimulates euphoria in our brains, because we have biological triggers like scent and symmetrical features, that indicate that the person you are looking at is a good breeder. Like you. I always thought you would be a good breeder" she smiled at him.

"ewww. Can we not talk about you two breeding? We're eating! That's so gross" Brandon interrupted his grandmother, his face screwed up as he helped himself to another large scoop of mac and cheese. "And by the way Gran, I love the nutmeg!" he added.

Booth laughed "Atta boy! Anyway, we took the bones back to the lab. Remember Cam got that shrivelled finger she found to look normal using ordinary fabric softener? Fluffed it right up! That blew my mind! The things that your Gran, and the people she used to work with could do was amazing. You have no idea how smart this lady was" he said.

Brennan frowned "What do you mean was?" she said. Booth clamped his lips together and gave a tight smile "Sorry honey. Is. Are. You're still real smart. I didn't mean." He stopped talking and put a huge mouthful of macaroni into his mouth and smiled at her. "this is so delicious" he said with a full mouth.

Brennan stared at him for a moment then looked at her plate, trying not to let him see her smile. Booth had this way of putting his shoe in his mouth. She loved it, but didn't always like him to know she did.

"Anyway, to cut a long story short, it turned out that the bones were glowing because of an unusual bacteria that is found in seafood. It is phosphorescent"

"Which means it glows, right?" Erin asked.

Brennan smiled widely. Her granddaughter was so much like she was as a child. Bright, smart, intelligent, and, very interested in science. She had high hopes that Erin might venture down the road of Forensic Science. "Exactly right, Erin! Well done!" she said proudly, patting her on the arm.

"We were able to trace the bacteria to a seafood restaurant. Anyway, the team worked hard and we eventually found who had killed the person whose bones we found." She said, glossing over the details of the case that her grandchildren didn't need to know.

"While we were working on that case though, your Pops told me how much he loved mac and cheese. He called it Gods food, I think." Brennan finished.

"Actually, mac and cheese is God's best handiwork." he corrected her grinning. "And that night, your Gran invited me over for dinner. And guess what she made me?" he said looking at the two faces looking at him.

"Mac and cheese!" they answered in unison.

"Mac and cheese" Booth repeated nodding and smiling at Brennan widely. "She has made it for me once a week ever since then. And that was a long, long time before we were a couple. And as far as I'm concerned, she makes the best mac and cheese in the entire world!" he said before shovelling another huge mouthful into his mouth and chewing it grinning at his grandchildren, the creamy, noodles showing through his teeth.

"Aww Pops! That's disgusting!" Erin cried out covering her eyes. Brandon laughed out loud and filled his mouth with noodles and chewed and grinned at everyone at the table.

"That's enough of that you two." Brennan said, shaking her head. "Honestly Booth, Christine will not appreciate you teaching them any of your bad manners!"

Booth laughed out loud, "Well, they're living in my house now for two whole months. And what happens at the Booth's, stays at the Booth's. Right guys?" he asked holding two fists out.

The kids, grinned and fist bumped him. "Right!" they echoed.

Truth be told, they loved their time spend with their Pops and Gran more than anything in the world. Their father's parents were both deceased. Their grandfather had passed away just after their father and mother had married, their grandmother, had passed away when the children were barely toddlers. So Booth and Brennan had been the main influence on their lives.

They visited several times a year. Always at Thanksgiving, and Christmas. And they spent a good part of every summer holiday with their grandparents. Booth would take them swimming, they went on picnics, visited the zoo and Brennan would take them shopping and to visit museums and sometimes, if they were really lucky, they got to visit the Jeffersonian where she had worked. Not that any of her team were there any longer. They were all long gone, retired, or working towards retirement elsewhere. But Brennan still had some contacts there and she enjoyed taking her grandchildren there to visit and look around.

Brennan was still actively lecturing from time to time. She was one of the Jeffersonian's favourite lecturers and when she walked through the doors, there was always a full house for her talks.

"Well I think you should hurry up and finish your dinner. Then we can clean up and I think Pops has a movie for us to watch?" she asked looking at Booth as he scraped his plate clean of the noodles and sauce.

"I certainly do! Who wants to watch Madagascar?" he asked. Brendan and Erin sat and stared at him.

"Come on Pops! You do realise we're teenagers now, right?" Brandon said.

Erin was shaking her head "We're not babies, Pops" she said, a tinge of disgust in her voice.

"Really? I hadn't noticed!" Booth said, picking up Erin's hair and looking underneath it. He grabbed Brandon's chin and rubbed at it. "Is that a bristle?" he asked, jokingly.

Brandon smacked his hand away "Come on Pops. We're not really gonna watch that old time baby movie are we?" he said.

Booth laughed out loud "Of course not. How about The Hunger Games XII ?" he asked.

"Really! I'm dying to see that movie!" Erin almost swooned. "how did you get a copy of that?" she asked.

Booth swallowed "Err, Um. I know a guy. Don't worry about that. Let's help Gran clean up. I'll get the ice cream and we'll start the movie" he said standing up, gathering up the salad bowl and the almost empty casserole dish. He leaned down and sniffed the remaining mac and cheese, "mmmm guess what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow?" he said waggling his eyebrows at Brennan.

Brennan laughed and shook her head. "Not if I get up first and make you a healthy breakfast of bran flakes, fresh fruit and yoghurt" she said.

Booth screwed up his nose and stuck out his tongue.

"Yoghurt and bran. Blech. You're Gran is trying to kill me" Booth said.

Brennan rolled her eyes "I'm actually trying to keep you alive longer" she said firmly.

"We will not be eating mac and cheese for breakfast. Just let me make that clear." She said as she stacked the plates and carried them into the kitchen.

"That woman loves me" he said, winking to Erin as they followed her into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Booth woke up and stared at the ceiling. He rolled over onto his side and stared at the woman lying beside him.

Temperance Brennan was just as beautiful as the first time he saw her.

Yes, her face was plumper. She had lines on her face, hell so did he. Her hair was grey, which she hated. She always complained that she wished she had his soft silky silver hair, rather than the coarse steel grey hair that she had ended up with. She wore it in a short bob that finished around her chin. He thought she looked way younger than her mid seventies. And he loved her probably more now now he ever had.

He reached over, flinching as he stretched his arm out. His arthritis was playing up a bit lately. Mornings were always the hardest part of his day. Getting out of bed and getting moving resulted in a series of moans and groans and huffing and puffing that would be worthy of a session in the gym. He pushed through the pain and hooked a strand of her hair with his finger and slipped it behind her ear.

Brennan smiled and rolled towards him and opened her eyes. She squinted and lifted a hand to his hair and tried to flatten it. "You need a haircut mister" she said, her voice still croaky with sleep.

Booth snorted and rolled onto his back, groaning again.

He sat up and edged forwards until his feet were about an inch off the floor. He rolled his ankles two or three times, and flexed his toes dropping them to the floor and bending them under.

"Ooff" he pushed himself up off the bed and stood up. His hands wrapped around the small of his back and he leaned backwards slightly. He let out a deep breath and took that first step. It was always the hardest one. Once he got moving, it would be fine, but his body would argue with him every morning about that first step. "Here I go" he announced, just as he did every morning while Brennan sat on the other side of the bed, pulling her gown around her, tying it at the waist. She slipped off the bed and pushed her feet into her fluffy yellow slippers. "Not too bad this morning dear?" she asked as she walked towards the large dressing table against the wall opposite their bed and picked up her glasses and put them on.

"Could be worse" he replied. "I'm gonna hit the shower" he added.

He opened the door and turned back to look at Brennan. "Sounds like the kids are up Bones. I suppose they'll be looking for breakfast. How about I cook us up some sausages and hash browns?" he asked rubbing his hands together.

Brennan tilted her head, her lips pressed together staring at him for a moment. "How about I make you a nice bowl of bran flakes with strawberries and yoghurt?" she responded.

Booth shuddered and screwed up his nose. "I was hoping you were joking about that last night" he said sulkily. Brennan shook her head and laughed "I never joke about keeping you healthy Booth. You should be used to it by now my darling." she walked towards him, stopping in front of him and pressing her hand to his cheek. "And make sure you shave. You're all bristly" she said as she stepped past him.

Booth frowned and rubbed at his face. _I only shaved four days ago. I can't be that bristly?_ he thought, rubbing at his face. Booth had never been a man that grew thick whiskers. He had always only shaved once a week, even when he was working. He always thought that was a lucky thing. He knew men that could potentially shave twice a day! Poor old Jack Hodgins was one of those. He could grow a thick beard in less than two weeks. Booth had never had anything that really qualified as a beard. He smiled and shook his head. _I guess I'll shave then._ he thought as he padded to the bathroom.

* * *

Erin and Brandon were sitting in the living room watching a music video show. The deep pulse of a bass line reverberated through the floorboards under Booth's feet. He called out to them "Guys". The music was so loud they didn't hear him the first time. "GUYS!" he repeated and walked in front of them blocking their view of the television.

Erin turned down the volume and grinned at her grandfather "Morning Pops! You slept in late!" she said jumping up to hug her grandfather. Booth shook his head "late? This is early for your Gran and I these days" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Morning pumpkin" he said. He looked at Brandon "You sleep alright? Are you hungry?" he asked.

Brandon stood up and stretched. "Yes and Yes! What's for breakfast Pops?" he asked as Booth pulled him over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Well I was thinking sausages and hash browns, but I think your Gran is gonna try to block that idea" he said, whispering to the boy. "Unless you go and pretend that it's your idea? That could work" he suggested, winking.

Brandon bounded into the kitchen, a bright grin on his face "Morning Gran!" he said as he wrapped his arms around his grandmothers shoulders. "How's my favourite grandmother today? What's for breakfast? I could really go for some sausage and hash browns and toast and maybe some grilled tomatoes?" he asked. Brennan folded her arms in front of her chest and looked over his head at Booth who was walking into the kitchen, his arm still wrapped around Erins shoulders.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. Brennan stood staring at him, her lips pressed hard together.

"What are you looking at me like that for?"

Brennan continued to stare.

"He's a growing boy! He needs to eat a hearty breakfast!"

Her foot began to tap.

"Fine. You cook us whatever you think is appropriate fuel for the start of the day" he finally conceded defeat "Sorry buddy" he apologised to Brandon.

"Oh no. Erin and Brandon can have whatever they want for breakfast. You, however, have your breakfast already laid out on the table" she said pointing to the dining table.

Booth turned and could see a cereal bowl, a pot of yoghurt and a dish of strawberries. He rolled his eyes and turned back and forced a smile "Ooh, looks delicious" he said reluctantly. Brennan walked over and gave him a gently push in the middle of the back. "Go and eat. Maybe." she hesitated "just maybe. I _might_ allow you one sausage and a half a hashbrown. Maybe." Booth shuffled to the table dragging his feet.

"Yes dear" he mumbled.

"Pardon?" Brennan asked from the kitchen door.

"Nothing baby. It's yummy!" he said, picking up a strawberry and biting into it.

Breakfast ended up being a jolly affair. Brandon was sneaking Booth food under the table. Brennan was quite aware of it, but decided that it was rather sweet, rather like he was feeding a dog, so she didn't say anything.

They sat out in the back yard after breakfast while Booth and Erin played catch. Brandon lay on a lounge next to his grandmother sunbaking.

"Hey Gran. When did you actually meet Pops?" he asked.

Brennan closed her eyes and held a hand over her forehead "Gosh Brandon. That must have been almost fifty years ago, I think? We actually met many years before we got married."

"Tell me about it. How did you meet people in the olden days?" Brandon asked, insisting. Erin heard part of their conversation and came over and pushed at her brother to sit up so she could sit next to him and hear the story.

"They want to know about when we first met" she said, looking up at Booth. He pulled a deck chair over and sat down, after he adjusted the umbrella over Brennan.

"Well that's a story and a half!" Booth said.

* * *

Brennan smiled at him "Remember when you came into that hall and interrupted my lecture?" she said.

Brandon's eyes were wide. "You were a teacher and a forensic anthropologist?"

Brennan laughed. "Well sort of. I gave lectures to university students and other doctors about forensic anthropology." she said. "Anyway, your grandfather came strolling up the centre aisle right in the middle of my lecture and just asked the most ridiculous question"

"Hey! That was a very good question Bones!" he said, feigning offence.

Brennan smiled "He was all suave and he walked up to me, held out his hand, introduced himself, and said"

"Do you believe in fate?" Booth interjected.

"and I replied, Absolutely not. Ludicrous!" They started laughing together at some unspoken joke. Brandon and Erin stared at each other.

Erin leaned in and whispered "Were they on drugs back then?" Brandon shrugged "I have no idea why they're laughing"

Brennan composed herself, wiping a tear out from under her glasses, her face beaming. "I had been asked to work with the FBI to help them identify some remains. It had been a case that the FBI had been struggling with." Brennan said. "They teamed me up with your grandfather to work on the case together, using the staff and facilities at the Jeffersonian. Truth be told, I thought he was the handsomest man I had met in a long time. Tall, dark and very charming." she said.

"I knew she liked me the minute she smiled at me" Booth said, nudging Brennan with his elbow.

"Anyway, we sort of bumped heads a big during the course of the case, and then I punched a judge in the nose" Brennan said.

"You punched a judge? Why? How did that happen?" Erin asked, intrigued by the fact that her grandmother had physically hit someone.

"It happened because he was rude. And it was wrong. And I lost my job and your Uncle Jack and Auntie Angela's jobs too because of it! Your grandfather had been told to fire us all. He took me out for drinks and actually told me we were fired."

"Well, I also told you I thought it was very hot that you punched that asshat." Booth smirked.

" We were drinking shots of some hard liquor. I can't remember what it was, but we got quite drunk. Anyway, I do remember we ran outside and it was raining and your grandfather stepped up to me, and told me that he was thinking about kissing me"

"And then I did. Your Gran was a good kisser" he grinned at the horrified faces of his grandchildren. "Well you wanted to know and this is part of the story!"

Brennan blushed "I left him standing in the rain. I got in a cab and drove away. The next day, oh dear, we were both very hungover. We went to work and I had to tell everyone that because of me, they had lost their job with the FBI. It was terrible."

"But, then I got a delivery of all the work that your Gran and her team had done, and they basically had solved the case! So I got to bring your grandmother back in on the case to finish." Booth said, leaning back in his chair.

Erin was leaning forwards, on the edge of her seat "So you caught the bad guy Pops?" she asked.

"Well, we, caught him, together" Booth said, nodding.

"And you guys got together. Like boyfriend and girlfriend then?" Erin asked excitedly, thinking it was so romantic.

Brennan looked at Booth, then over at her granddaughter "Well no. After that, we had a huge fight. I actually slapped your grandfather and called him stupid."

Booth rubbed at his face " Boy, I can tell you, she can pack a whallop! My face stung for days after that." he smiled and looked at the ground, his face changing from a bright smile to kind of sad "yeah, we really didn't see each other after that"

"Not for a very long time. But that is another story." Brennan said.

They stared at each other for a moment, small smiles tugging at their mouths.

* * *

Brennan stood up and smiled, "Who wants to help me make a pie for lunch?" she asked.

Erin jumped up "I do!"

Booth looked at his grandson. "I need to go do some errands in town. Wanna come for a drive?"

"Yeah!" his grandson replied standing up.

"No icecream sundaes" Brennan called as she walked up to the house.

"OK Bones" Booth called out, as he winked at his grandson.

"What happens in town, stays in town" he said holding out a fist.

Brandon grinned as they fist bumped.

"You know, they're so going to get icecream don't you Gran?" Erin asked as they walked into the kitchen.

"Of course I do. But it wouldn't be the same if I didn't say it." Brennan said, laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

Brandon lay on his back, a phone pressed firmly to one ear, legs bent at the knee, one crossed over the other and his foot bouncing up and down.

"Yeah. We're having a great time actually. Nah. I haven't missed being home at all. My greats are the best! You should meet them! My Pops was a big deal in the FBI and he used to be a sniper. He's got a whole bunch of guns down in his cellar. He has! I've seen them! And my Gran was like the smartest forensic anthropologist in the world. She's written a bunch of novels too. Yeah. I guess they are pretty loaded. I never thought about it."

Brennan walked into the room and noticed Brandon's muddy shoe on her leather couch. She frowned and walked over and grabbed his knee and pulled his legs so that his feet came off the couch.

"Sorry Gran. I'm talking to Sarah. My. Err, friend from home. I was just telling her all about you and Pops" Brandon said, his hand firmly clamped over the phone.

"That's nice, but no shoes on inside please. Now I need to clean this before Pops see's it. You know this is his favourite couch" Brennan said, picking mud off the cushion, her tongue clucking.

"Look Sarah. I gotta go. Yeah. Me too. No I can't say it. My Gran is standing right here!" Brandon's face was started to turn beet red. Brennan looked down and smiled to herself. "loveyoutoo" he said so quickly that the poor girl on the end of the phone probably missed it. He hung up the phone and grinned at his grandmother, his face still red.

"Girlfriend?" Brennan asked casually.

Brandon stood up and shuffled his toe on the carpet. "No! Kinda" he said, clearly embarrassed.

Brennan wrapped an arm around his shoulder "don't be embarrassed. And don't be afraid to love someone. It's the best thing you'll ever do. Your Pops taught me that lesson, even when I didn't believe love existed."

Brandon leaned back and looked at his grandmother "Really? I thought like you were the most in love people on the planet!"

Brennan laughed "Well, we didn't start out that way. In fact, there was a time when I thought your Pops and I might never even be friends any more." she said.

Brandon shook his head. "That's whack!" he said.

"yes indeed. It was whacked" Brennan said.

"Just whack Gran" Brandon said laughing.

Brennan pointed to a mask hanging on the wall over the fireplace. "See this? It's from the Maluku Islands. They are part of Indonesia. The Moluccas were the original Spice Islands. Indian, Chinese, Arab and, later, European adventurers all came there in search of cloves and nutmeg. Until the 16th century such spices were worth their weight in gold and grew nowhere else!" she said excitedly.

Brandon stood staring at his Gran, his mouth slightly ajar. "Is this like a history lesson, or are you showing me this for some other reason?" he asked, cheekily.

Brennan ruffled his hair and laughed. "Sorry sweetie. Your grandfather is always telling me off for doing that. I actually showed you this because when I went to Maluku, that was the time when I thought I'd never get to see or work with your grandfather again. He got posted in Afghanistan after signing up for a year to train new recruits."

Booth and Erin walked into the living room "What are you doing?" he asked. Brennan turned, he caught the sparkle of a tear in her eye. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. Brennan walked into his arms and wrapped hers around his broad body.

"Gran was just saying that you guys nearly didn't get together! Is that true? You went away to Afghanistan?" Brandon asked his grandfather.

"Ahh, hence the tears. Come, come now" he lifted her chin and wiped her tears from her cheek with his fingers.

"Well you have to tell us now!" said Erin, plonking down on the sofa. "What's this?" she added as her hand connected with a ball of mud.

"On my sofa?" Booth exclaimed, looking closely at the seat.

"Sorry Pops. My bad" Brandon said. "Now how about that story?" he said trying to divert Booth's attention away from the dirty cushion.

Booth stood up and frowned at Brandon, then took his favourite chair. Brennan sat next to Erin and Brandon sat on the arm of Booth's chair, wrapping an arm around his grandfathers neck.

* * *

"Well. Your Gran had been asked to be part of a very important archaeological dig in the Malarki Islands" he started.

Brennan rolled her eyes "You're doing that on purpose Booth. You know what they're called." she said. Booth grinned and winked at her. "Of course I do, but I do love the look on your face when I say it wrong. It was the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. She actually asked me if I minded if she went, as I recall. We'd been going through a rough patch to be honest. I'd had brain surgery and had basically told your Gran that I was in love with her. She got cold feet and had turned me down. And from then on things were a bit strained between us" he said.

"Brain surgery? What happened?" Erin asked, worried about her grandfather.

Brennan patted her arm "Oh that's another story dear. We'll tell you that one another day" she said, nodding at Booth to continue.

"Well Bones and I. Your Gran and I, we accepted our new jobs and the day came when we were leaving Washington. I remember being at the airport. I could see her. In her navy blue coat. I stood watching as she hugged everyone goodbye. Cam, Uncle Jack and Auntie Angela, were all there to say goodbye to her. I remember she looked so sad." Booth said, swallowing down a lump in his throat. Telling this story pulled up a lot of memories.

Booth cleared his throat "Anyway, we said our goodbyes to each other. We made a pact to meet in one year. And then she was gone. I was kept busy in Afghanistan. I saw some action. Worked in the peacekeeping corp and helped train a new crop of young soldiers. And then one day I got a call from Caroline, one of my bosses. We were being called back, just short of the year, to work on a case to help Cam out of a bad situation at the Jeffersonian."

Brennan smiled "And as we agreed, we met by the fountain. I can tell you both, your Pops looked so handsome in his uniform. Probably more handsome than I remembered. I was so happy to see him. So happy. But then he told me some news. He had met a girl over in Afghanistan. I wasn't sure what to say to him except to tell him I wanted him to be happy. But to be honest, I was very sad. You see, I realised how much I cared for your grandfather while I was away. And I was ready to tell him how I felt. So this news really wasn't good." she said, tilting her head and smiling at Booth as she tucked her hair behind one ear.

Erin grabbed her grandmothers arm and squeezed it "But he broke it off and went out with you, right?" she asked. Brennan shook her head "Actually, Hannah, that was her name, came out from Afghanistan unexpectedly and moved in with your grandfather." she said looking at her grand daughters devastated face. "It's alright sweetie. Hannah was part of our journey" she said looking at Booth and smiling.

Booth smiled back at Brennan and felt his face reddenning. He hadn't talked about Hannah in decades, let alone to his grandchildren. "Um, yeah. Hannah. Look, she was fun and pretty"

Brennan interrupted "She was very pretty and had the loveliest blonde hair. I actually did like her" she said.

Booth grinned "Yeah, you liked her so much you gave her the idea for my birthday gift. I knew that was from you. She would never have thought of that by herself. I knew Bones. I always knew it was from you" he said, blowing her a kiss across the room.

"Anyway, we tried to make it work, but you know, when you are in love with someone else, even when you haven't said the words out loud, it weighs on your conscience. And although you try to do the right thing by the person you are with. It doesn't always work out. And that's a good thing in the long run. Well it was for me." he said.

Erin was leaning against Brennan's arm, tears in her eyes. "So you and Gran got together after you broke up with Hannah?" she asked.

Brennan looked down and stroked her granddaughters hair. "No. We didn't. We did become closer than we had been for a long time though. And our friendship just grew stronger."

"We grew stronger" Booth said nodding.

"So what happened to that Hannah chick" Brandon asked breaking the mood of the room.

"Well. She left and went back to Afghanistan I think. I don't really know what happened after that. She never contacted me again. And to be honest I never wanted her to. She was a part of my life that was over. And I was OK with that. She helped me realise what I had right in my hand. Your Gran. And for that I was thankful." Booth pushed himself up out of his chair and walked over to Brennan holding out his hands.

She grabbed them and he helped her up off the couch. "I never knew what I had until that year." she said. "And I thank God every day that he opened your eyes to it." he said kissing her lips.

Erin burst into tears and Brandon sat awkwardly trying to not watch his grandparents kissing.

* * *

"Ok now. I think we should go outside and rake up those leaves off the lawn. We have people coming over for a barbeque this weekend, and I want the yard to look nice." He clapped Brandon on the back and grabbed Erin's hand and grinned at Brennan as they left the room together.

Brennan pulled a small linen handkerchief from her cardigan pocket and lifted her glasses, wiping at her eyes. She walked over to the old bureau and opened the door. There sat an old black rotary dial telephone. She bent down and placed a finger in the number nine and dialled, listening to the finger wheel click as it turned. Why nine? Because after working with Booth for nine years, she finally got to marry the man of her dreams. She had always felt that it was her lucky number. And every now and then, she opened the cupboard and dialled nine. It had brought her good luck for the last 40 years, and she decided that one day, Erin would be the one who got to dial her lucky number.

She smiled and stood up and closed the door.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold your horses!" Booth walked to the front door just as the doorbell rang for the fourth time. "What?" he said gruffly as he pulled the door open.

He looked down and saw a round face with rosy cheeks and bright cherry pink lips, circled by bright red curls. "Was that you ringing my doorbell?" he asked.

"Yes Popsie! It was me!" a voice like a small tinkling bell replied.

"Well come here then!" Booth said bending down with a muffled groan and picking up the doorbell ringer.

Two chubby arms wrapped around his neck and his cheek was covered in cherry pink kisses. "Hello Popsie!" the cherub in his arms said. Booth smiled and turned his face and dropped several big smacking kisses on the little girls face and lips. "How's my little girl?" he said sweetly, hugging her close and kissing the top of her head, her red curls tickling his nose.

"Gran? Guess what I found at the door?" he called out. Brennan came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

"Me!" the little girl squealed wriggling as Booth set her feet on the ground. She ran towards her grandmother arms outstretched "Granny!" she called out. Brennan smiled widely and bent over as the little girl wrapped her arms around her hips, and hugged her.

Booth smiled at the picture before him, Brennan and their great grandchild, Polly. He turned around and grabbed the shoulders of his son Parker looking at him before hugging him. "When did you get the hell so old! And why is my grand daughter wearing lipstick?" he said to his son.

Parker pulled back "Enough with the old, you old man! And she's a four year old girl. I can't tell her what to do" he laughed and clapped his father on the shoulder. "Hi Mom!" he said as Brennan came to the door and gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Parker. You look well!" she said, looking down at Polly who was jumping up and down at her side.

"How is Raelene?" she asked. He smiled "She's good. She's at the hospital with Sarah." Brennan nodded "How is Sarah going?" she asked. Parker grinned, "Really well. Bored. Sick of being in hospital. But you know, it was the best place for her these last few weeks. The baby is due any day now. So by the end of the week, this one will have a baby brother or sister. Won't you Polly?" he asked the little girl who squealed "Yes Poppa! A baby brother!" she ran off dancing around the living room.

"Well don't stand there. Come on in" Booth said, ushering Parker through the door. Parker was looking after his grand daughter while his wife Raelene was visiting their daughter Sarah at the hospital. His wife needed a break from the energetic little girl they were looking after while her mother was in hospital. Her father was away on business and they were all hoping he was going to be back in time for the new baby's arrival. Parker decided that it would be the perfect time to visit his parents with her, while her second cousins Brandon and Erin were there.

* * *

Brandon and Erin were out in the back yard playing totem tennis when the little girl burst out the back door and ran towards them.

Erin saw her coming and grabbed the ball before it could hit the little girl who had eyes only for her cousins. "Hello Polly! How are you? Look at how big you've got!" Erin said, dropping to her knees and hugging the little girl.

"I'm getting a baby brother soon!" she squealed. Erin laughed and stood up grabbing one hand, nodding at Brandon who had grabbed her other hand. They walked back to the house swinging the little girl high in the air between them every three or four steps.

Brennan, Parker and Booth were sitting around the dining table. The children came inside and came to join them, greeting their Uncle Parker warmly. He hugged Erin and shook hands with Brandon. "You've grown at least three or four inches since I saw you last!" he exclaimed looking Brandon up and down.

"How is Sarah? Has she had the baby yet?" Erin asked. She really liked her cousin Sarah. Sarah was eight when Brandon and nine when Erin was born. She had loved playing with her baby cousins.

Parker and Christine were close despite their age difference. And it had been important to both Booth and Brennan that their children kept in touch even though Parker had moved away with his mother. He would come and visit a couple of times a year and Christine adored her time with her big brother. She would attach herself to his side for the entire time he was visiting.

Brennan worried that, as a teenage boy, Parker would find it annoying or a burden, but he never did. Not once. It warmed both hers and Booth's hearts watching this tall gangly teenage boy, running around the back yard being chased by a curly headed four year old girl wielding a fairy wand.

And then, later, Parker had met and then married his high school sweetheart Raelene, and had a daughter, just as they had. And now, here he was, a grandfather at fifty two, with another grandchild about to make it's entrance into the world.

* * *

Polly came running and launched herself at Booth "Popsie, I'm hungry!" she announced. Booth grinned at Parker. He knew exactly what she wanted.

"What about some broccoli?" he asked. "Noooo!" she cried. Booth rubbed at his chin "Well, what about some spinach, I have some lovely spinach" he asked, only to be met with a screwed up face "Yucky! Popsie I don't like spinach!" Polly buried her face in his lap. "OK. No broccoli, and no spinach. I wonder" he said, putting on his best thinking face. "How about"

"Icecream!" Polly yelled, clapping her hands. Booth looked surprised "Icecream? Oh dear. I'm not sure we have any of that!" he teased. Polly grabbed his hand with both of hers and started pulling him out of his chair. "Yes you do silly Popsie!" she laughed, guiding him towards the freezer. He pulled open the door of the upright freezer and feigned shock.

"Well would you look at that? We _DO_ have icecream!" he yelled out to everyone.

Polly was bouncing up and down clapping her hands as he put two scoops into a bowl and carried it into the dining room and set it on the table. He picked up Polly and sat her on a chair and pushed her close to the table. The bowl sat just under her chin, but she didn't care. She sat happily eating her strawberry icecream, which was her favourite flavour. Booth personally hated strawberry, but every time he knew she was coming, he always made sure he had a tub for her.

Parker leaned back in his chair and asked his niece and nephew about school and sport. Brennan was looking at Polly and leaned over and stroked her red curls. "She looks so much like you did when you were about her age Parker" she said. Parker laughed, "Apart from the red hair. She got that from her grandmother" he said referring to his wife. Brennan smiled, "But she's got your nature. I remember you having that same sweet smile" she said to him.

Parker nodded "Yes, I suppose. She also has my independent streak. Remember that time when I ran away because I couldn't spend Christmas with you Dad?" he said, looking at Booth. "I think I was about five?"

Erin looked at her Uncle Parker shocked "You ran away when you were five?" she asked.

Parker laughed, "Yeah, I did."

Booth and Brennan looked at each other. "And we had no idea until the police delivered him to your grandfather's office!"

"Why did you run away?" Brandon asked, almost as shocked as his sister, although deep down he thought it really cool that a five year old had the guts to run away by himself and then get picked up by the police. "Did you get to ride in the police car? Were you in jail?" he asked excitedly.

Booth laughed and leaned back in his chair. "No he did not get put in jail. Look, it was Christmas, and things weren't going quite the way either of us had hoped." Booth started.

"Your Uncle didn't live with your grandfather. He lived with his mother and usually he spent Christmas day with his father. But that year, Rebecca, Parker's mother, decided to take him away to Vermont with her boyfriend. Needless to say your Pops was not very happy." Brennan told them.

Booth shook his head. "It was looking like it was going to be a crappy Christmas. Parker was upset. I was upset. Grans father was in jail" Brandon jumped up from his chair "Wait! Your dad was in jail? How did I not know any of this!" he exclaimed. Brennan shot Booth a frown. She had not intended telling them that their maternal great grandfather was a criminal, but Booth of course blurted it out. "He was" she held up her hand as Brandon opened his mouth "And it doesn't matter why. He just was for a while. We'll get to that part of the story later." she said firmly.

Booth continued "Anyway, we were on a case where we had a dead" he hesitated and looked at Polly " A" he spelled out to them. He didn't want to start a four year old off crying because she thought the jolly fat guy was dead. He smiled and winked "So we" Brennan stood up and said, "can you hold on Booth?" she asked. Then turned to Polly who had icecream all over her face. "Come on missy, we're going to go get cleaned up and then you can do me a lovely drawing, OK?" She grabbed Polly by the hand and led the little girl out of the kitchen, nodding at Booth.

He made sure they were out of earshot "OK. So we had a dead Santa, and of course your Gran kept arguing that it wasn't Santa, while I was not convinced it wasn't, cos you know, Santa _IS_ real." he grinned. " Anyway, we were working the case. Turns out that our victim worked for a company that hired out Santa's to businesses at Christmas time. And wasn't the real Santa after all. Thankfully" he said.

"We went to the company and we had to talk to about fifteen or twenty Santa's. Not real ones. Men dressed up as Santa. To interrogate them about the victim, who's name was actually Kris Kringle, which I thought was ludicrous, but that was his name!" Brennan said and laughed.

"And in the middle of the case, your Gran was made an offer. My boss Caroline, offered a deal to your Gran that if she kissed me under some mistletoe. She would let her celebrate Christmas with her father in jail. Of course your Gran didn't tell me about the deal until it was too late to back out." he grinned at them.

"My boss had a little bit of an evil streak in her. She maintained that your Gran and I had been flirting with each other for three years and she was sick of it. She wanted us to prove to her that our feelings were just professional."

Brennan came back into the dining room and sat down "Where are we up to?"

"The mistletoe" Booth said. "Well, the bit where Caroline made the deal with you" he said grinning.

Brennan rolled her eyes "Oh. Caroline. Her and her puckish side. She was determined to make me squirm" she said.

Booth laughed "You and me both! Later that day, we were at the diner for lunch with Parker. Well, I was eating with Parker, Bones was sitting at the counter while I was trying to explain to him why he couldn't spend Christmas with me."

"And I thought you were telling a lot of lies to Parker" she said.

"Not lies Bones. I was maintaining the magic of Christmas" Booth said shaking his head.

Parker sat back in his chair smiling as his parents told the story. "I remember I wasn't happy, and I wanted you to come with us. You were very diplomatic about Mom's boyfriend." he said.

Booth laughed "Captain Fantastic. Poor old Brent. I really gave him a hard time, didn't I?" Booth said leaning forwards, chin in hand looking at Parker. "Ah well. I guess your mom and he were happy while it lasted. Anyway, Parker's mom arrived with Cap, err, Brent and we sat and talked and, you know, we had a fairly decent chat."

"Not long after that I was at the office, and I was getting ready for our kiss. I had a nice piece of mistletoe as per Caroline's instructions and Booth came walking in. So of course I had to tell him what was happening." Brennan said grinning widely, her eyes sparkling behind her glasses. "Your Pops was somewhat shocked I can tell you. Then in walked Caroline. And, as per her instructions, I grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and kissed him for five steamboats"

"Steamboats? What's that mean?" Erin laughed. Brennan smiled and held up one finger after the other counting "One steamboat, two steamboats, three steamboats, four steamboats, five steamboats"

Brandon screwed up his face "That's a long time to kiss someone you don't like!" he said.

Booth held up both hands "Woah!"

"Horse!" Brennan yelled.

Brandon and Erin looked at each other and back at their grandparents, then back at each other and burst out laughing.

Parker said "Don't ask. They've done that forever!"

"Who said we didn't like each other. Oh, we liked each other just fine. In fact, we liked each other more than either of us were willing to admit back then. You know what I remember?" Booth said grabbing hold of Brennan's arm. "The gum!"

Brennan started to blush "Shhh Booth" But Booth laughed loudly "I ended up with her chewing gum in my mouth!"

"Gross!" Brandon said covering his ears while Erin squealed and covered her eyes yelling "No!"

"So you got to have Christmas with your dad?" Erin asked once she had stopped laughing.

"Yes, I did. And my brother Russ and his family were all there too. It was the first time we had spent Christmas together I think?" she frowned, trying to remember. "But before that we had to finish the case. And we did. You want to know how we caught the murderer?" she asked smiling. Erin and Brandon sat nodding. "We had to smell their butts!" she said laughing.

"What? Why?" Brandon giggled.

"Because we worked out that the killer had sat in some soup. Which had a very distinctive smell. And of course, his butt smelled like the soup!" Booth said laughing so hard, his belling was bouncing up and down.

"After that, we kind of went our own ways for the holidays. Your gran was going off to spend Christmas with her family. Meanwhile, I was in my office, sulking because I thought I was going to be alone for Christmas when a policeman arrived at the door with Parker."

Parker shrugged "Yeah, I ran away, but I ran straight to a police officer on the street and told him who my father was and they brought me straight to the FBI."

"I can tell you I was so happy to see him, but so mad at the same time. Then I had to call his mother and listen to her yelling at me because she decided it was my fault that Parker ran away. But we came to an agreement that I would have Parker for the night, then drop him back home before they left for Vermont in the morning. It all worked out." Booth reached over and punched Parker gently on the arm.

"You haven't told them the best part" Brennan said. Booth smiled, "You tell them" he said softly.

Brennan smiled and lay her hand on Parkers arm. "Your Pops and Parker arrived outside the prison where I was with my family. He called me on my phone and made me go to the window. And there, outside the fence, standing in the snow, was your grandfather and Parker and the most beautiful Christmas tree, all lit up with coloured lights. The snow was falling gently. I remember I could just make out that it was landing on his hair, which was really dark back then. And on his broad shoulders, standing out like silver dust against the black of his coat." She stopped to pull a handkerchief from the sleeve of her shirt and dabbed beneath her glasses. "It was the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen" she finished.

"You were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen" Booth murmured, a sweet smile pulling at his mouth.

"So did you get in trouble with your mom?" Brandon asked Parker.

"Oh boy did I ever! After Dad left, I got punished and sent to my room for two days! I wasn't allowed to go skiing or bobsledding or anything! Two whole days! I never ran away again." he said laughing.

"You never told me that!" Booth exclaimed.

Parker thumped his father on the back "Dad. There's a whole lot of stuff I never told you." he grinned. "And I never will"


End file.
